Rush – 2112

2112, released in 1976, is the fourth album from Rush. It proved to be their biggest commercial success to that point, reaching #5 on the Canadian charts and #61 in the United States, and eventually going double platinum in Canada and triple platinum in the U.S., despite the seven-part title track, a dystopian tale of the future, occupying all of side one.

The critical reception has been mixed (and, I must admit, I don't even own a copy):

• AllMusic gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, praising it for combining "prog rock and heavy rock ... to create an interesting and original approach"
• Bob Mersereau's The Top 100 Canadian Albums and CBC Radio's 100 Greatest Canadian Albums both ranked it 17th
• Rolling Stone Album Guide gave it only 2.5 stars out of 5, calling it "Rush's muddy space-plowboy phase," but Rolling Stone also named it the 22nd greatest prog rock album of all-time.

"Twilight Zone" and "2112 Overture / The Temples of Syrinx" were both released as singles, as was a live version of "A Passage to Bangkok."

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Track Listing

1. "2112" (Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson) – 20:34
   1. "Overture" – 4:33
   2. "The Temples of Syrinx" – 2:12
   3. "Discovery" – 3:29
   4. "Presentation" – 3:42
   5. "Oracle: The Dream" – 2:00
   6. "Soliloquy" – 2:21
   7. "Grand Finale" – 2:17

2. "A Passage to Bangkok" (Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson) – 3:32

3. "The Twilight Zone" (Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson) – 3:16

4. "Lessons" (Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson) – 3:51

5. "Tears" (Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson) – 3:30

6. "Something for Nothing" (Neil Peart, Geddy Lee) – 3:59

Personnel

• Geddy Lee – vocals, bass guitar
• Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic guitar
• Neil Peart – drums, percussion
• Hugh Syme – synthesizer (on 1), mellotron (on 5)

• Rush – Moving Pictures (album)
• Rush – Permanent Waves (album)
• Rush – Tom Sawyer (song)
• Rush – The Spirit of Radio (song)
• Rush – Closer to the Heart (song)